Jackson Dean comes across as a deep well of country and rock music and emotion, but his personal playlist couldn’t be brighter.

The “Heavens to Betsy” singer is one of two guests on this week’s Taste of Country Nights, on Demand podcast. Host Evan Paul wrapped an insightful interview with something a bit more playful.

“I like obscure things,” he said.

Specifically, Dean says he’s really into a female-led soul band out of Brooklyn called Say She She.

“They’re doing doo-wop and it’s incredible,” he gushes.

Maybe we’re guilty of judging a book by its cover, but Jackson Dean doesn’t seem like a doo-wop kind of guy. However, when pressed further he explains his love of harmonies — especially in country music — and suddenly it fits.

“We all sing five-part harmony in my band, which is a really heavy thing,” he says. “Harmonies throughout country music have been so crucial. Think of any duet that you ever heard in the country genre. You’re like, these are two laser beams coming to make one.”

“Heavens to Betsy” is close to becoming Dean’s first No. 1 on the Billboard Country Airplay chart. The song’s 60-week run on the radio chart has allowed him time to process the emotions of hearing someone else’s story.

“People come up to me all the time and are like, ‘Man I’m pretty sure my dad’s spirit was in the room when you wrote this. Hearing that as a 25-year-old is a lot to handle,” he says.

“Sometimes you just gotta be there and listen and look them in the eye and tell them, ‘It’s okay.'”

“Heavens to Betsy” is from Dean’s On the Back of My Dreams album (2024). He says he hopes to have a new album ready in 2026.